MPA PUBLIC POLICY GUIDE
Welcome to the MPA Public Policy Guide
To navigate to the different sections use the tabs above.
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Getting Started |
Research Hints Key Resources
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Articles |
Looking for Full Text? OCLS QUICKsearch Key Resources Related Resources General Resources
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Reference |
Why Reference Materials? Available Books and Reference Books Additional Materials Reference Databases eBook Databases
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Government Information
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Locating Government Information Sources for Government Information Sources for State Government Information Sources for Municipal Government Information
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Statistics |
Sources for Statistical Information Other Data Resources
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Policy |
Sources for Policy Papers
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Polling |
Sources for Polling Information
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News Sources |
Sources for Newspaper Articles News Sources on the Political Spectrum
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Public Finance |
Federal Government Resources Journals Newspapers Useful Websites
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Websites |
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Thank you!
Portions of this guide were built using suggestions from Northwestern University Libraries.
Is this journal Peer-Reviewed?
Are you trying to figure out if a journal is peer-reviewed?
Use Ulrichsweb Global Serials Directory database (OCLS > Article Databases > General).
- Search for the journal's name to see if it is peer-reviewed.
- In Ulrichs if the journal is peer-reviewed or refereed it will have a referee's jersey icon next to the journal's name.
Links with a 
require an IWU login.
This database is a bibliographic index to the literature of public policy, social policy, and the social sciences in general. Journal articles; books; government documents; statistical compilations; committee reports; directories; serials; reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations; and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world are indexed.
ABI/INFORM covers more than 1,800 business, management, and public policy and administration journals providing citations, abstracts, and some full text. Users can search the database in a number of ways including author, subject, and title, and limit their search to full text articles and scholarly publications. Users can also browse issues of periodicals that are included full text.
With domestic and international sources, Business Source Complete provides citations, abstracts, and full text articles from business and public policy and administration journals, magazines, and scholarly journals.
Policy File Index is a unique resource for U.S. public policy research. Users are able to access timely, updated information from over 350 public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities.
HTML or PDF Full Text
- OCLS databases will usually have a button for HTML or PDF Full Text for the articles that come up in your search.
Check Online Availability
- There will be times when the HTML or PDF Full Text button is not available.
- When this happens, click on the Check Online Availability button.
- This will search through the other databases to see if full text is available through another database.
Print Journals
- If full text is not available online, search in the library's online catalog for the journal's
- If IWU has the print article, request a copy of the article to be emailed to you.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
- If IWU does not have the article online or in print, you can request the article through ILL.
- Visit our ILL portal and login with your myIWU username and password.
- Select the Request an Article button and fill out the form.
- Fill out all the publication information you have to make sure you received the correct article.
"OCLS Google"
- QUICKsearch searches the library catalog and most of our online databases in one easy search.
- It is a good place to start your research before you try specialized databases.
Links with a require an IWU login.
This database is a bibliographic index to the literature of public policy, social policy, and the social sciences in general. Journal articles; books; government documents; statistical compilations; committee reports; directories; serials; reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations; and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world are indexed.
ABI/INFORM covers more than 1,800 business, management, and public policy and administration journals providing citations, abstracts, and some full text. Users can search the database in a number of ways including author, subject, and title, and limit their search to full text articles and scholarly publications. Users can also browse issues of periodicals that are included full text.
With domestic and international sources, Business Source Complete provides citations, abstracts, and full text articles from business and public policy and administration journals, magazines, and scholarly journals.
Policy File Index is a unique resource for U.S. public policy research. Users are able to access timely, updated information from over 350 public policy think tanks, nongovernmental organizations, research institutes, university centers, advocacy groups, and other entities.
Links with a require an IWU login.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstract Database
Over 150,000 summaries of books & reports, journal articles, program descriptions, and evaluations maintained by the National Institute of Justice's National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Includes U.S. material and selected international publications, in English. Topics include corrections, courts, drugs and crime, law enforcement, juvenile justice, crime statistics, and victims of crime.
Indexes and abstracts current research (articles are from 1980 to the present) in social work, human services, and related areas, including social welfare, social policy, and community development. Major areas of coverage include community and mental health services; crisis intervention; evaluation research; the family and social welfare; gerontology; policy, planning and forecasting; poverty and homelessness; professional issues in social work; social development; social work education; support groups/networks; violence, abuse and neglect; and welfare services.
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts 
The database provides citations, abstracts, and indexing of the international serials literature in political science and its complementary fields, including international relations, law, and public administration/policy.
Links with a require an IWU login.
This multidisciplinary database provides citations and abstracts from nearly 2,900 scholarly journals, as well as full text access to over 1,200 journals. Users can search in a number of ways including, author, title, subject, geographic terms, company entity, journal name, and ISBN. The advanced search feature lets you narrow your search down to type of publication, document type, or by date. Another special feature of this database is its ability to search for images.
JSTOR offers historical access to back runs of core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, most going back to a journal’s first issue. Users can search by keyword, limiting their search to journals in a particular field, by author or by journal. JSTOR users can also limit their search to articles, reviews, opinion pieces, or other materials.
Why Reference Materials?
You may ask, "Why would I use an encyclopedia, dictionary, or other reference materials for my research?".
- Reference materials can provide background information.
- They can also be a good place to start when you are beginning research in an area you are unfamiliar with.
- Start your research by scanning a reference book to generate ideas about how to narrow or search for your topic.
- You'll find keywords and related topics for your search strategy. You might even create an initial outline.
- Reference articles usually offer additional resources in a bibliography you can use to track down more information!
Available Books and Reference Books
Links with a require an IWU login.
Handbooks
Handbook of Public Administration by
Public Policy Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Guides
Links with a require an IWU login.
Reference Databases
Links with a require an IWU login.
Credo Reference offers hundreds of full-text reference books across all academic disciplines, including criminal justice and political science. Search for your topic to discover articles, or browse the area of "social science" to view the available reference books in your interest area.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Gale Virtual Reference Library provides thousands of full-text articles in various areas of criminal justice and political science. Search all reference books using the box at the top of the screen, or click on a subject area in order to search only the books in that area.
eBook Databases
You can search our eBook database collections below individually.
Links with a require an IWU login.
A multidisciplinary database covering all academic areas including political science and law. Over 52,000 ebooks are available from over 150 publishers.
This collection contains more than 32,000 multidisciplinary e-books from more than 90 of the best university presses. The collection offers basic introductory texts to high-level research materials.
Government Information
Locating Government Information
Sources for Government Information
Sources for State Government Information
Sources for Municipal Government Information
Locating Government Information
Catalog of US Government Publications (GPO's CGP)
The finding tool for electronic and print publications from the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the US government.
You will find descriptions of historical and current publications along with direct links to items available online.
- Click Advanced in the top menu to get started.
- You can search by keyword, title, and authoring agency.
- Like other databases you can use:
- Boolean search operators (AND, OR, and NOT)
- Quotation marks for phrases
- You can limit your search results by year.
- When an electronic copy is available, click the link on the right side to access it.
- When you find a good publication, use its Subject - LC headings to find similar publications.
Sources for Government Information
Called the U.S. government's official web portal, this site allows users to search for information across all federal agencies, as well as at the local and state levels.
This site from the Library of Congress provides legislative information including bill tracking, presidential nominations, the text of committee reports, and other information.
Sources for State Government Information
National Conference of State Legislatures
This site maintains a list of links to legislative resources by state.
NCSL State Legislative Websites Directory
National Governors Organization
A bipartisan organization of the nation's governors—promotes visionary state leadership, shares best practices, and speaks with a unified voice on national policy.
Sources for Municipal Government Information
(Cities, towns, and counties)
The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. Working in partnership with the 49 state municipal leagues, NLC serves as a resource to and an advocate for the more than 19,000 cities, villages, and towns it represents
NLC State Municipal Leagues Directory
United States Conference of Mayors
Official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,296 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.
Database of Mayors - Full database of over 1,400 mayors from across the United States, representing cities with a population of 30,000 and larger. Search by mayor’s name or by city name.
This site offers several search options: (1) search all the codes in their library, which covers 32 states; (2) search all the codes within a state; and (3) select a city and search/browse its code.
Sources for Statistical Information
This site provides access to data from the most recent census at the state and local levels.
Data.gov provides access to governmental data sets with information ranging in areas from agriculture, education, to health.
National Center for Health Statistics
The NCHS provides information about the health of the population as well as disparities based on race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, region, or other population characteristics. They monitor trends in health status and evaluate the impact of health policies and programs.
UN Data provides global statistics gathered by the United Nations Statistics Division. Users can locate information on education, agriculture, employment, and other topics.
The Comparative Agendas Project collects and organizes data from archived sources to track policy outcomes across countries. CAP enables scholars, students, policy-makers, and the media to investigate trends in policy-making across time and between countries.
Sources for Policy Papers
Annenberg Public Policy Center
This policy center produces research that looks at the role of communication in politics, adolescent behavior, child development, health care, civics, and mental health, and other areas.
Data.gov provides access to governmental data sets with information ranging in areas from agriculture, education, to health.
Center for Strategic & International Studies
An international policy institute, the CSIS focuses on a number of topics including defense and security, governance, technology, and global trends.
This collection of public policy research is gathered from sources such as the American Bar Association, the Brookings Institution, the Ford Foundation, the Institute for Policy Studies, and others.
The RAND institute provides research in a variety of areas such as arts, civil justice, education, national security, public safety, and other areas.
Sources for Polling Information
Pew Research Center: U.S. Politics and Policy
The center conducts monthly polls of public opinion on politics and policy issues.
Provides articles that summarize the results of recent, selected polling data. Includes some international polling.
Sources for Newspaper Articles
Links with a require an IWU login.
This library database includes full text for hundreds of national, regional, and international newspapers.
Wall Street Journal
Full text coverage of the Eastern U.S. edition, updated daily.
New Sources on the Political Spectrum
What news sources are left-leaning, centrist, or right-leaning?
There is no completely clear answer to this question because there is no one exact methodology to measure and rate the partisan bias of news sources.
Here are a couple of resources that can help:
All Sides is a news website that presents multiple sources side by side in order to provide the full scope of news reporting.
The Allsides Bias Ratings page allows you to filter a list of news sources by bias (left, center, right).
In the Middle
Common Ground: Centrist News Sources
- Wall Street Journal
- BBC News
- USA Today
Almost Center News Sources
- NPR
- PBS NewsHour
Sources on the Left and Right
Towards the Left
- New York Times
- Washington Post
Far Left
- Huffington Post
- Mother Jones
Towards the Right
- Fox News
Far Right
- The Blaze / Glenn Beck Program
- Drudge Report
The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) annual edition is the codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation.
- Select the year and title you want to view.
Financial Reports of the United States Government
The Financial Report of the United States Government (Financial Report) provides the President, Congress, and the American people with a comprehensive view of the federal government's finances, i.e., its financial position and condition, revenues and costs, assets and liabilities, and other obligations and commitments. The Financial Report also discusses important financial issues and significant conditions that may affect future operations, including the need to achieve fiscal sustainability over the medium and long term.
A Glossary of Terms Used in the Federal Budget Process
This glossary is a basic reference document for Congress, federal agencies, and others interested in the federal budget-making process. Like previous editions, this revision emphasizes budget terms, but relevant economic and accounting terms are also defined to help the user appreciate the dynamics of the budget process and its relationship to other key activities (e.g., financial reporting). It also distinguishes between any differences in budgetary and nonbudgetary meanings of terms.
Budget of the United States Government
Issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Budget of the United States Government is a collection of documents that contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications that have been issued throughout the fiscal year. Other related and supporting budget publications are included, which may vary from year to year.
Federal Reserve: Beige Book Archive
The “Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District,” report commonly known as the Beige Book, is published eight times per year.
Links with a require an IWU login.
National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO)
The National Association of State Budget Officers is the professional organization of state finance officers. The web site offers a number of resources on state budgets as well as publications on state expenditures.
National League of Cities (NLC)
The National League of Cities advocates for cities and towns and provides information on finance and economic development; governance; housing; infrastructure; sustainability; and youth, education, and families.
Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government
This public policy institute provides research on a number of areas of government including state and local government finance, federalism and intergovernmental relations, and government reform.
The Tax Policy Center is a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution. The Center is made up of nationally recognized experts in tax, budget, and social policy who have served at the highest levels of government. TPC provides timely, accessible analysis and facts about tax policy to policymakers, journalists, citizens, and researchers.
Recommended Websites
A non-partisan, independent website that tracks congressional activity and the status of federal legislation.
Homeland Security Digital Library
This site provides access to documents related to homeland security policy, strategy, and organizational management. Documents cover federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies, as well as professional organizations, think tanks, academic institutions, and international governing bodies.
HoursMon-Thur: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm (ET)
Friday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (ET) Saturday: 9:30 am - 2:00 pm (ET) Sunday: Closed Librarians may not be available all open hours, but will answer ASAP.
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